“Not so good. Matt thinks I should get a sonogram right away.”
“Yes, he explained all that to me.” He reached out impulsively and stroked her soft curly hair. She glanced at him with a question in her eyes but didn’t move away. “Where’s your doctor, Leigh? Is she far?”
“Just in Hamilton.” She turned her head away. “I’m scared, James.”
“Of course you are. Anyone would be. But I’ll be right there with you, Leigh. It doesn’t have to be bad news. Matt said it could be something very ordinary. We just need to find out for sure.”
She took a breath and nodded then levered herself to a sitting position.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked quietly.
“I just need my shoes.”
He handed her the shoes, then helped her up from the cot. She walked unsteadily, leaning on his arm as they left the room. In the reception area he helped her into her coat.
Nancy Malloy cast them a sympathetic glance as they passed the front desk. “You hang in there, Leigh. Let us know what’s happening.”
Leigh nodded and tried to smile, but James could see it was an effort for her.
Matt followed them out to the car. “Call me as soon as you know what’s going on, okay?”
James nodded. “We will. Thanks again, Matt.”
Leigh, lying down across the backseat, barely said a word as he drove. James thought it was just as well. He was secretly so nervous he needed all his wits to concentrate on the road. He was glad to be with Leigh in her moment of need, but he also dreaded the possibility that it might truly be bad news. Staring out at the highway, he said a silent prayer. Please help Leigh’s baby, Lord. Please let this just be a false alarm. Please have mercy on both of them.
They soon reached Hamilton, where Leigh showed him the way to her doctor’s office, located in an office building just off Main Street.
There was only one other patient waiting, a young woman who sat reading a magazine with a baby on the cover. The nurse at the reception desk recognized Leigh and was expecting her. She ushered them back to a darkened room and helped Leigh up on the exam table.
James watched her take Leigh’s temperature and then her blood pressure. She glanced over her shoulder at James. “Are you a relative?”
James was startled by the question and shook his head. “Just a friend,” he said quickly.
She must have wanted to ask if I was the father, he realized. He certainly felt as anxious as one.
He glanced at Leigh, noticing again how nervous she looked. He wanted to step closer and at least hold her hand. But the nurse was in the way.
The nurse put her blood-pressure kit away. “I’m going to get her ready for the sonogram now.”
Now what? James wondered. Did Leigh want him to stay or would he be intruding if he suggested it?
“Can he stay? . . . I mean, if he wants to?” Leigh asked.
“Sure. It’s up to you.”
“I’d like to stay,” he said, meeting Leigh’s gaze. She nodded and he could see that she really did want him there.
The nurse snapped open a paper gown, which she placed over Leigh’s lap. Then she lifted Leigh’s sweater a few inches to smear some clear gel over her stomach.
The door opened a few minutes later, and a woman in a long white lab coat came in. James knew she had to be Helen Olin, Leigh’s doctor. Tall and slim, with short dark hair, she looked about forty or so. Her expression was serious but when she met Leigh’s gaze it softened with concern.
“Hello, Leigh. What’s going on?”
“Nothing good.” Leigh sighed. “This is Reverend Cameron, a friend of mine.”
The doctor glanced at James and said hello. If she was curious about his relationship to Leigh, she didn’t show it.
She asked Leigh some questions about her symptoms then listened to the baby’s heartbeat with her stethoscope. James thought the doctor looked worried.
Finally, Dr. Olin sat beside Leigh on the opposite side of the table from James and started the sonogram. “Okay, let’s take a look,” she said quietly.
James stared at the small black TV screen. It looked as if it was transmitting images from outer space. Suddenly, he saw the unmistakable outline of a baby. The fetus was curled into itself, yet each of its parts was remarkably distinct. He looked down at Leigh and grabbed her hand. She didn’t pull her gaze away from the screen but gave his fingers a hard squeeze.
“Is she all right? Can you tell?” Leigh’s voice was quavering.
Dr. Olin didn’t answer right away, and he felt himself holding his breath. Please God, let her say it’s okay. I’d give anything not to hear bad news right now. . . .
Finally, the doctor glanced up them and smiled. “Yes, everything looks good. Just let me take a few more pictures. Then I’ll need to give you a quick exam.”
James felt his body sag with relief. He glanced down at Leigh and rubbed her shoulder with his free hand. “She’s beautiful,” he whispered. “She looks just like you.”
Leigh laughed quietly but when she gazed up at him, she had tears in her eyes. “Oh, you can’t tell anything like that from these pictures. As long as she’s okay, that’s enough for me.”
James closed his eyes a moment. “Thank God,” he said softly.
“Yes . . . thank you, God.” Leigh’s tone was surprisingly solemn, and he saw that her eyes were closed as well.
James left the examining room and sat in the waiting area. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. Did exams typically take this long? He hoped everything was all right. He tried to distract himself by reading a news magazine. As he flipped through the pages, a photo caught his eye. The picture showed a village of huts in some impoverished, tropical locale. A dark-skinned boy with large eyes and a pathetically thin body stared up at him. It could have been a photo from his own mission, and James felt a jolt inside, as if a slack line hooked to some bit of hardware inside him had suddenly been jerked tight.
He realized how far that distant life had drifted away from him today. He suddenly felt guilty and ashamed of himself. How could he forget so easily? So much was waiting there for him, so many people who relied on him, so many plans for the mission’s future. That was his real life. This place was just a rest stop.
But Leigh and her baby were important, too, another part of him insisted. He had an obligation, a duty, to help them, too. It was more than duty, that dry, bloodless word. He still felt some intimation that God had brought him into Leigh’s life for a reason. And even beyond that feeling, he wanted to be here for her. He was happy he had answered the phone instead of Vera and had the chance to take care of her. He hoped she would let him do even more.
James closed the magazine and put it aside, then stood up and paced around the small room. He didn’t know what was happening to himself lately. One minute, he was chomping at the bit to get back to the mission; and the next, imagining a life here, staying with Leigh and helping her raise her baby.
Ridiculous ideas. He’d been idle too long. His brain was turning to marshmallow. She thought of him as a friend, sure, but she had never indicated that she felt anything more. She was still getting over her husband’s death and dealing with her pregnancy. A new relationship was probably the last thing on her mind.
And we’re so different, he thought. I’m not the type of man she would get involved with, anyway.
A door opened and Leigh walked into the waiting area. She smiled at him. “I just need to make another appointment and we can go.”
“All right.” He stood waiting for her, and then they walked out to the car, where he helped her into the front seat.
“What did the doctor tell you? Did she know what happened?”
“She said it was something called preeclampsia, a very mild case. It used to be called toxemia, I think, too. They really don’t know what causes it, though it’s most common with first pregnancies. It seems the mother’s body is just overworked. There’s not too much you can do for it. It can become worse, b
ut Dr. Olin doesn’t think I need to worry about that right now. She told me to rest and stay off my feet for a few days. I feel bad for Dr. Harding, though. Tomorrow is Saturday, his busiest day.”
James began driving back to Cape Light. “Matt wouldn’t want you working if your doctor told you to rest, Leigh. You have to do what she says. Think of the baby.”
Leigh stared at him, wide-eyed, clearly surprised by his tone, which was far sterner than he intended. He’d overreacted.
“I’m sorry,” James said quickly. “I have no right to tell you what to do. I’m just worried about you. We’re lucky everything turned out okay.”
There, he had done it again. He said “we’re lucky,” as if he had some real place in her life. He glanced at her, expecting her to say something, to set him straight.
Leigh stared out her window, and he felt her hand cover his on the seat between them. “It was frightening,” she said at last. “Thank you for bringing me to the doctor and for staying with me.”
James took her hand and brought it to his lips. It was not exactly what a friend would do, he knew. But he couldn’t help it. And he couldn’t take the gesture back once it was done.
Leigh looked a bit surprised but didn’t seem to mind. She kept hold of his hand, watching out her window at the passing scenery.
It suddenly seemed clear to him. He knew what he had to do now. He needed to stay and help Leigh—at least until she had the baby. The mission would have to get along without him a few weeks longer.
“I’m going to keep helping you, Leigh, you and the baby.”
Leigh hesitated a moment before saying, “I appreciate your friendship, James. But you don’t have to make any promises to me.”
“I know I don’t have to. It’s what I want to do.” He kept his eyes straight ahead, almost afraid to look at her again—afraid of what he’d see, her beauty and strength and vulnerability.
He didn’t understand his own motives entirely, just this compelling need to stand by her, to help her if he could. It just seemed the right thing, the only thing, to do.
“I’VE ALWAYS LIKED THIS PLACE.” EMILY SAT BACK IN HER CHAIR AND looked out at the Newburyport Harbor. It was Saturday afternoon and the restaurant wasn’t even half full. She and Dan had walked in without a reservation and been shown an excellent table right at the window.
“It’s such a beautiful view,” she said, looking out at the whitecaps on the water.
“And the food is good, too. This chowder is perfect, hardly any potatoes.”
“That’s impressive.” They hadn’t been together that long, but Emily already knew how Dan hated too many potatoes in his chowder. Too much celery was an even greater affront.
He put the cup aside and touched his mouth with his napkin. “I think this would be an excellent choice for the reception. It’s a pretty place, fancy enough but not too formal.”
In Emily’s mind their planned postnuptial get-together for a dozen guests could hardly be called a reception, but she didn’t want to sound negative. The restaurant was a viable suggestion, and she knew Dan was trying to please her.
“Would they let us have that little private room on the side or would we have to take a regular table? They might not let us have it,” she continued, answering her own question. “We’re only twelve.”
They had decided to invite Dr. Elliot, a close friend of Emily’s family, which brought the list up to an even dozen since Betty wasn’t bringing an escort. But still, Emily didn’t think it was enough to rate the private space in such a fancy restaurant.
“No harm in asking.” Dan smiled at her amiably. “If it’s not in use, they might not mind.”
“It would be nice to have it there, so people can get up and walk around. Maybe they have some minimum number,” she mused. “We can always invite Reverend Ben and Carolyn. Since he’s performing the ceremony, we probably should.”
“Just to be polite, you mean?”
“Not just that. I love the Lewises. Reverend Ben’s been a great help to me.”
Dan leaned forward and touched her hand. “I was just teasing, honey.”
Emily tried to smile but didn’t feel cheered by his gentle joke. “I don’t know what to do about Harriet DeSoto.” Emily picked up her fork and took a bite of her salad. Harriet, the town clerk, was not exactly a close friend but had always been a loyal political ally. Emily didn’t want to hurt her feelings—or alienate her. “She overheard me talking about the wedding on the phone the other day, and I know she thinks she’s going to be invited.”
“Just tell her it’s only close family.”
Emily shook her head and speared a tomato on her fork. “Harriet knows Betty is invited and she assumes she will be, too. Of course, Betty is my oldest friend from high school, so it’s completely different. But Harriet is close, too, in a way. We’ve been through a lot in the office and through two campaigns.”
Dan massaged his forehead. “Emily . . . are you trying to tell me something?”
Emily looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“Emily, don’t give me those . . . those big baby blues.” He was trying to sound stern, but she could tell her baby blues were indeed working on him.
“You aren’t really happy with this small wedding idea, are you?” She started to reply but he interrupted her. “Come on now, be honest. We’re going to be married a long time. We have to be honest with each other.”
She put down her fork and looked straight at him. “Okay, then no, Dan. I’m really not—”
“I knew it.”
“It’s not that I don’t agree with you, honestly. I do think a small wedding is the easiest and most sensible solution. And I know we don’t have any time left at all and can’t change our trip.”
“But?”
“But it’s not the way I want to celebrate getting married to you. It just doesn’t feel right to me. Does that make any sense?”
He stared at her a moment, then reached over and touched her cheek with his hand. “I can tell that you’re not that happy about it. That means something to me. If you’re not happy, Emily, we just have to think this thing through again.”
“Dan, that’s sweet, but we’ve already gone over all the options. I told you a small wedding was okay, and I’ll stick to it.”
“Well, the problem is, I can’t do it that way now, knowing you’re unhappy about it. You seem to be forgetting something.”
“Which is?”
“I love you. I want to see my beautiful bride radiant with smiles on her wedding day.”
She grinned at him. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can give in. But what about you? I feel the same way. We can’t do something that you’re going to feel glum about.”
“I’ll never feel glum getting married to you, silly.”
“You know what I mean.”
Dan tilted back on his chair, and Emily spotted an unusual glimmer in his eyes. “Well, I do have an idea. I wasn’t going to say anything since we finally seemed settled. But since we’re not as settled as I thought . . . I don’t know about this idea of mine, though. It’s a bit outlandish.”
Emily’s curiosity was peeked. “Sounds interesting. Will it work for you?”
“In a strange way . . . yes.”
“Well, tell me about it!”
Emily leaned closer and Dan described his inspiration. It was completely outlandish, but it definitely appealed to her. The more she heard, the more she liked—and the more she thought it could be exactly the solution they had been looking for.
“JESS? ARE YOU READY? YOU’D BETTER HURRY UP OR WE’RE GOING TO miss the movie.”
Jessica heard Sam calling from the foot of the stairs. She ran to the bedroom door and poked her head out. “I’ll be right down. Just a minute . . .”
She took a breath, stared at the white plastic stick in her hand, and quickly whispered a prayer. “Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. . . .”
“Jess? I’m going outside. I’l
l warm up the truck.”
“Wait, Sam . . .” Jessica raced down the hallway, swung around the banister, and flew down the stairs.
Sam stood in the small foyer staring at her. “Are you okay?. You’re not even dressed yet. If you’re tired from those pills again, we can stay home. . . .”
“Me? I’m great. I’m not tired at all.” She took a breath and swallowed hard. “I think I’m pregnant.”
Sam stared at her and blinked, his expression frozen in utter shock. Then his words spilled out in a rush. “You do? I mean, you are? I mean, you know for sure? Or you just think you might be?”
She held up the white plastic stick. “See? The dot is blue. That means baby in progress.”
He took the stick in his hand and examined it. “This tells for sure?”
“Ninety-nine percent accuracy, that’s what the box says. I used about five of them. Blue all the way.”
She watched his face melt into a delirious smile. “Baby in progress . . . yes!” He hugged her, lifting her up off her feet, then suddenly put her down again, looking worried. “Is that okay? I didn’t hurt you or anything, did I?”
“No, silly.” She laughed at him and hugged him back.
“Come on, let’s sit down. I’m sort of in shock,” he confessed. He took her by the hand and led her into the living room, where they sat together on the couch. He pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest.
“Happy?” he asked quietly.
She laughed. “What do you think? More like delirious.”
“You got your Christmas wish, Jess. Now I don’t have to worry so much about what to buy you.”
“You’re off the hook on that one.” She lifted her head and glanced at him. “Are you happy?”
“Me? I’m over the top, honey. I didn’t think it would happen again so fast. Like I said, I’m sort of in shock.” He paused and she felt him take a deep breath and heard his strong, steady heartbeat under her cheek. “Did you call the doctor yet?”
She laughed at his overly concerned tone. “I just found out two minutes ago. When would I have called the doctor?”
“Oh. Right. You’d better call first thing on Monday. He’ll probably want to see you.”
A Christmas Promise Page 21
